Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-03-30
EDUCATION In FRANCE.
Jules Simon Tells What It Was
Fifty Years Ago.
roor Scholars Living on n Loaf OF Bar
ley Bread = Week.-Mrs. Own Hard
Knocks-Tho Queer College
of yannea.

Jules Simon is certainly one of the
most brilliant of living Frenchmen,
and this is sufficient in itself to give an
important interest to any thing which
he writes upon the subject of his early
education. Whenever this education
is spoken of by his late political asso-
ciatcs-for it must be remembered that
he has practically seeded from the
service of the Republic, and is alto
gcther the most effective light that the
Conservatives have had in their ranks
for many day-hc is sneered at for
being pupil of the Jesuits. No doubt
Nj. Simon's mind received that little
warp which is pcrceptiblc even in the
generally sincere Renan. Brilliant de-
batter, political orator, academician,
justly celebrated for his style and his
esprit. NJ. Simon is at the present time
a broken-down politician, spirituel but
not spiritual, with no following save
those people whom he would have &C
counted his enemies twenty years ago,
and with some very vigorous antagon-
lists among his old colleagues. He is
a lost leader, and although he has not
been mourncd in verse he has been
mercilessly pounded in prose, until, as
we saw two or three months ago, even
the cuticle of the practiced politician
was penetrated.
In pleasant series of papers show
ing all the moro charming characters
tics of NJ. Simon's style and literary
character, he gives us story of his
earliest education, and incidentally
conveys a host of curious details as to
college life in France fifty years ago.
When he was doing his rhetoric, as the
French call il, at Vanncs in 1880, he
was like nearly all the scholars in this
old college, which was kind of priv.
legged asylum for the struggling sons OF
the middle classes, SO straitened in his
resources that he was often ut loss
for pair of good shoes, and never had
other than the simplest food and the
barest lodging for his whole college
term. THE college and the scholars
in the college," he says, "werc like
nothing that have ever seen since. We
formed in the town kind of small
tribe, which enjoyed certain respect
and consideration. The doctors and
the lawyers knew by their names the
chief scholars in the upper class. They
were Interested in our labors. They
took part at the close of the year in the
public exercises, asked the usual ques-
tons, and discussed with us many
points of literature and philosophy.
Many of our school companions were
the sons of peasants, and wore the old
Breton costume. They were intended
for priests. They were usually much
older than boys are when they enter
college. One of them was twenty-four,
and his presence at the school aston
ished nobody. Most of the rhetoricians
were at least twenty years old. Two
or three clearinghouse kept by old
maids grouped together twenty or thir-
ty boarders each. There were the
brilliant children of fortune, who were
looked upon by us with something
very akin to envy. But we enjoyed
our poverty with its comparative free.
dom. We had four hours of class five
days in each week, and the rest of the
time free range. We were, for tina,
matter, laborious and properly be-
havcd. as bclitted the sons of the poor
Most of the scholars came from the
ncighboring parishes, and found gar.
ret in some poor family, where they
also boarded very chcaply. Some Of
the peasants came up from Normandy
with an enormous loaf of barley bread
which had to last them until the fol
lowing saturday, when they returned
home. They cut this bread into slices,
and the women who lodgei them gave
them little bouillon. With this and
piece of boiled beef, or some half
spoiled charcuteric whenever they had
any money, they lived as best they
could. ! knew many who had no other
food than this soup at noon and dry
bread the rest of the day."
M. Simon gives q very naive and
almost touching account of his own
struggles. IL lived" he writes, with
certain Mime La Normandc, who
kept clearinghouse for the choil